Dust in the Wind
by DarkDreamer56
Summary: NS Contains MAJOR spoilers for Grave Danger. Sara visits Nick at the end of the night.


Title: Dust in the Wind  
Author: DarkDreamer56  
Archive: If you want it, ask please!  
Rating: T  
Pairing: N/S  
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but if you're willing to trade….  
Spoilers: Major spoilers for the season finale. Proceed with caution. Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled!

A/N: I just had to get this little piece off my chest, and then it's on to the next chapters of UC and Homerun Derby. This contains major spoilers for Grave Danger (season finale), so again, proceed with caution.

* * *

The steady rise and fall of Nick's chest assured Sara that they had not been too late. The panic she had been feeling for nearly twenty four hours was finally beginning to subside, though her heart still raced every time she closed her eyes and saw images from the live feed flashing through her head. As she sat at his bedside, watching him sleep, the events of the night were beginning to set in, and Sara finally allowed herself to realize how close they came to losing Nick. 

From the moment Sara's phone had rung, and she heard Warrick's panicked voice on the other end, Sara had built a wall to contain her emotions, using only her panic to fuel her through the night. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she thought about what could have happened. Normally she didn't allow herself to indulge in what ifs, but the reality of the night had shaken her to the core.

They had worked for hours, coming up empty with each new piece of evidence. Time was moving forward, but their progress was at a standstill. They were at the mercy of a madman, with a vendetta against the crime lab and a sick sense of humor.

Nick's parents had flown in from Dallas, making everyone in the lab that more anxious to find a break. Sara had seen the look in Jillian Stokes' eyes, begging them to find her son. When Mrs. Stokes realized who was a part of the original night shift, her eyes welled with tears as she embraced each one, whispering what nice things Nick had said about all of them. That was the hardest Sara had to work at keeping her emotions contained, as Nick's mother hugged her close, telling her what a wonderful girl Nick had said Sara was. Sara allowed herself a few sniffles as she hugged the woman back, before going back into work mode.

They all waited with bated breath as Grissom went to make the ransom drop. Brass wouldn't let any of them accompany him or Grissom to the warehouse, so they gathered in the break room with Nick's parents. Jillian Stokes reached out and grasped Sara's hand, holding on for dear life as they waited for any news. Sara was surprised, but squeezed her hand gently, amazed that the woman was holding up so well. Inside, she must be falling apart with worry about her youngest, but outwardly she wore a stoic expression, her pain expressed only through her eyes and the way that she was gripping Sara's hand. They were bitterly disappointed when their only lead effectively committed suicide, injuring Grissom in the process. The relief Sara felt that Grissom wasn't seriously injured was still clouded by the fact that Nick was still out there, somewhere, and they had no idea where.

At that point, Sara had refused to view anymore of the live feed, terrified that she would be watching Nick give up. Instead, she locked herself in a layout room, going over all of the Trace they had. She prayed to every higher power she had ever believed in that the kidnapper had gone to the site where Nick was being held first, leaving something behind at the staged crime scene. It wasn't until she noticed Brass knocking on the glass that she realized she had been in the layout room for almost two hours.

As she sat with Brass in interrogation, listening to him question a bystander to the explosion who they were beginning to like as an accomplice, she noticed some dust on his shoes. And suddenly, she knew where Nick was.

Looking back on it, while taking in Nick's sleeping form, Sara could still not find a logical reason that her mind made the connection. The dust on his shoes didn't even match the Trace they had found. It was as if someone had just dropped the knowledge of his whereabouts into her head, and that scared her more than anything in her life. That they had found him by chance, by intuition, only made Sara think that all the work they had done was for nothing, that they were only biding time until something as immeasurable and imprecise as luck kicked in. What did that mean in the grand scheme of things?

Sara choked on a sob as she examined the sleeping man lying in front of her. He had several broken ribs, dozens of gashes and bruises on his face, neck, and arms, as well as a concussion and a sprained wrist. Sara hastily wiped away the few tears that had escaped. The bruises and cuts would heal with time, and the IV would re-hydrate him, but it was the fear in his eyes that worried her the most. She had sat with him as they waited for the paramedics to catch up with the team, clutching his hand and rambling to keep the silence at bay. She had seen the fear in his eyes as he looked up at her.

Sara had had Nick stay with her after the Nigel Crane incident, and she was still haunted by the look on his face as he woke up screaming, night after night. She knew it was only a matter of time before the nightmares started again, and this time would be much worse.

Nick began to stir, opening one eye before lifting his head up off the pillow, then grimacing in pain and resting it back down again. He blinked a few times, his eyes still sensitive to the harsh light of the hospital room. Sara sat forward, hoping her face didn't appear too tearstained, grasping his hand and rubbing circles over the rough skin of his knuckles.

"Hey, I thought I sent you home?" His voice was still thick, and he had a small coughing fit, but he sounded much better than just a few hours ago. "Where's everyone?"

"Warrick and Greg went to get some sleep, they'll be back later. Catherine had to go pick Lindsey up, and Grissom got called back to work."

"What about my parents?"

"They went to get something to eat," she answered softly, "I don't think they've had anything since they got to Vegas. I told your Mom I'd sit with you for awhile."

Nick groaned as he moved his arm to rub his head, feeling the pinch of the IV in his arm. "Any chance they're bringing me back a cheeseburger?"

Sara allowed herself a small grin. "How about I bring you back a Double Double, Animal Style tonight?"

"Grilled onions too?" Sara nodded as Nick gave her a weak smile. "Sara, you didn't have to stay. I'd have been okay. You must be exhausted though…you should get some sleep."

Sara could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "I know tough guy…but I wanted to see you open your eyes," she whispered hoarsely as tears began to cascade down her cheeks. Nick's eyes began to water, and he carefully squeezed her hand.

"Oh Sar…"

"Nick, we were so scared, and then we started getting the live feed…all we could see was you down there, and we had no way of telling you that we were…"

The rest of her confession was lost in a sob, as she finally let go of everything she had worked so hard to contain. Nick disentangled his hand from hers before bringing it up to stroke her hair. He drew her head forward, so that it rested against his chest, and she sobbed into the thin material of his hospital gown.

It was several minutes until Sara could get herself together, and as she pulled back, she averted her eyes and wiped a hand across her face. Nick took her hand in his, and this time he was the one rubbing gentle circles over her knuckles.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "you've been through so much…I shouldn't have fallen apart like that."

"Sar, it's okay. Warrick told me how….you figured it out. He said you kept it together, that it helped everyone else keep it together. And I think I'm still in shock," he admitted quietly, "it hasn't all hit me yet."

Sara leaned forward, resting her elbows on the edge of his bed, their hands still entwined. "I'll be here when it does."

Nick looked up at her, holding her gaze for a moment while a few tears trickled down his face. "Thank you."

Nick then looked away, and cleared his throat. "But first, I think that you should get some sleep. I'll be okay until my parents get back."

"You trying to get rid of me?" Sara teased gently, trying to break the tension.

Nick tried his best to appear innocent, as he gave her a small grin. "No ma'am. I just figured, the sooner you leave and get some sleep, the sooner you'll be back with my burger."

"I'll leave as soon as your parents get back," Sara promised, smiling back and rubbing his arm with her free hand, "Your mom is a wonderful woman, but I have a feeling she'd skin me alive if I left you here by yourself."

"Yeah, I guess I am her favorite…but I don't know if I like you and my mom getting so cozy…"

Sara gave him a confused look, wondering what problem he could possibly have with her talking to his mother. "Cozy?"

"Yeah, she seems to have really taken a liking to you. She told me earlier that she won't buy it anymore when I tell her there aren't any nice girls in Vegas."

Sara blushed slightly, not expecting that particular answer. "Sorry I ruined it for you…" She couldn't help but smile.

Nick returned her grin. "She told me how hard you worked…how you sat with her…" Nick trailed off for a moment, trying to get his voice back under control before giving her another weak smile and continuing. "Anyways, she's dying to marry me off, and I think she's set her sights on you." Nick rolled his eyes and yawned. "I asked her not to push it, but promise you won't get pissed. She'll be gone soon…"

Sara just smiled and squeezed his hand. "Well, I can think of worse things than marrying you, but I promise not to freak out, and I'll make sure that your mom doesn't make any reservations at The Intergalactic Chapel of Love."

Nick chuckled weakly as he closed his eyes. "I could think of worse things too darlin…and I think my mother would rather die than watch her youngest son get married by a man in an alien suit…"

Sara watched him in silence as he drifted back to sleep, still clutching her hand. Her eyes grew heavy, and though she tried to fight it, eventually she laid her head on her crossed arms, closing her eyes and squeezing his hand one last time before letting sleep overtake her. As Sara drifted off, she decided that even if it had been chance that found Nick, if it meant that he was safe and sleeping next to her, than she could learn to live with it.

FIN.

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